Coyotes Leapfrog Jackrabbits in FCS Rankings

Ever since arriving in Division One football in 2008, the South Dakota Coyotes have been looking up at their neighbors to the North, the South Dakota State Jackrabbits.

Way up.

Since 2008, USD has gone 37-63 at the D1 level, while SDSU (who made the jump to D1 in 2005) has consistently been ranked among the Top 25 teams in the nation, making the FCS Playoffs six times, and sharing the Missouri Valley Conference title last year.

The Jackrabbits have also gone 5-0 head-to-head against the Coyotes at the Division One level.

But now for the first time at the FCS level, South Dakota is looking down on South Dakota State.

The Coyotes (4-0) are sixth in the FCS Coaches Top 25 this week, seventh in the STATS FCS Top 25, after then-number nine USD knocked off then-number 15 Western Illinois last weekend (September 30).

That same day, the then-number four Jackrabbits (3-1) were beaten by then-number five Youngstown State.

The loss dropped SDSU to ninth in the coaches poll, eighth in the STATS poll.

FCS Coaches Top 25

James Madison

North Dakota State

Youngstown State

Jacksonville State

Wofford

South Dakota

Illinois State

Central Arkansas

South Dakota State

Eastern Washington

STATS FCS Top 25

James Madison

North Dakota State

Youngstown State

Jacksonville State

Wofford

Central Arkansas

South Dakota

South Dakota State

Sam Houston State

Eastern Washington

The MVFC is still the class of FCS, with five teams in the top ten again this week. Overall, the league has seven top 25 teams in the coaches poll, six in the STATS poll.

This week South Dakota hosts #3 Youngstown State, while South Dakota State hosts unranked Southern Illinois.